|
Bridging the Digital Divide
An English 356 Final Project by Rob Larsen, Spring 2008
|
For my English 356 final project I chose to research a problem and create a website that would help people within my area. The problem I chose for this project was dealing with digital diversity, and how to bridge the gap that is created by the digital divide. Some people think that this issue is not as big a deal in Washington, having a very strong technology backing in the upper east side of the Puget Sound. The issue is still just as large however as it is in areas like Palo Alto, California, which is in close proximity to Silicon Valley.
The digital divide isn’t exactly new; in fact it has been noted for a few decades now. Basically as long as there has been expensive computer equipment, there have been those with the ability to purchase them, and those without. In the early days of computing however, no one was certain how far the industry would go, if it would go at all. Almost no one predicted our current reliance on computers, and how much they are used in our day to day lives. From starting your car to checking your email, writing a paper or applying for a job, computers are almost a mandatory part of life in the year 2008. A person might be capable of getting by without computers, but they really limit themselves to far fewer options in career choice or schooling.
The following list was posted by Digital Promise and notes some of the major problems currently caused by the digital divide. Source
- Households with an average annual earned income of over $75,000 per year have a computer ownership rate of 86.3 percent, while only 19.2 percent of households earning less than $15,000 per year own computers.
- Over three-quarters of high income households have Internet access, while only 12.7 percent of low income households can connect to the Internet.
- Only one-third of African-American and Hispanic households own computers, far behind the national computer ownership average of 51 percent.
- Just 23 percent of African-American and Hispanic families have home Internet access.
- The Internet is available in more than 60 percent of all two-parent households, while only 32 percent of single parent households are connected to the Internet.
- In major cities, only 22.8 percent of single female-headed households have Internet access.
- Nearly 60 percent of Americans with disabilities have never used a computer.
- More than 64 percent of college graduates have used the Internet, compared to only 29 percent of those with just a high school diploma, and 11 percent of those not graduating high school.
|
In order to fully comprehend the digital divide, stop to think for a moment. Could I currently attend a four year university if I had no access to computers? What if I had access, yet no training or background knowledge to use them effectively? Do you feel you could even effectively attend a community college, or would have gotten through your high school with the same success? Most of these answers are probably no, and it becomes hard to consider what life would be like without the access to technology that most of us are used to.
The purpose of this project overall is to fully convey the problems that the digital divide causes, potential solutions, and how to get help with access or questions in the South Puget Sound area. Keep in mind that no solution is absolutely the best choice, if it was, the digital divide would presumably no longer exist. If you have any suggestions about program ideas or would like to donate or volunteer time, feel free to contact any of the groups presented under the “Help in Your Area” tab above.
|
|
